Oedipus Rex as the Tragic Hero Throughout history, many writers have used the so called "tragic hero" as the center for their material. This story is most commonly viewed as a tragedy, hence the name "tragic hero". A tragedy is defined as a series of casually related events in one's life that lead to an unhappy catastrophe. Most writers feel that sympathy will add to the drama and popularity of their work. In most any case the tragic hero has things in his/her favor at the beginning of the story. Oedipus, at the beginning of the story, had just became the new king of Thebes. He had a lovely wife and two childre